Wasting refers to catabolism and/or the progressive loss of weight in a subject, or to loss of muscle mass and/or its progressive weakening and degeneration. Sarcopenia and cachexia are clinical manifestations of wasting. Wasting may be due to a chronic or acute condition (i.e. persisting over a long period of time) and may be associated with neurological, genetic or infectious pathologies, diseases, illnesses or conditions.
Wasting may be associated with Cachexias such as Cardiac Cachexia, AIDS Cachexia and Cancer Cachexia, malnutrition, Leprosy, Tuberculosis, Diabetes, Renal Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Cancer, end stage Renal failure, Andropause, Frailty, Emphysema, Osteomalacia, HIV Infection, AIDS, or Cardiomyopathy.
In addition, other circumstances and conditions are linked to and can cause wasting. These include chronic lower back pain, advanced age, central nervous system (CNS) injury, peripheral nerve injury, spinal cord injury, chemical injury, central nervous system (CNS) damage, peripheral nerve damage, spinal cord damage, chemical damage, burns, long term hospitalization due to illness or injury, and alcoholism.
Wasting may include muscle wasting, for example as occurs with Muscular Dystrophies such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Myotonic Dystrophy; Muscle Atrophies such as Post-Polio Muscle Atrophy (PPMA), disuse deconditioning that occurs when a limb is immobilized, and/or sarcopenia.
If left unabated, wasting can have dire health consequences. For example, the changes that occur during wasting can lead to a weakened physical state that is detrimental to an individual's health, resulting in increased susceptibility to infection, or other diseases or conditions. In addition, muscle wasting is a strong predictor of morbidity and mortality in patients suffering from cachexia and AIDS. Innovative approaches are urgently needed at both the basic science and clinical levels to prevent and treat wasting disorders, in particular muscle wasting disorders.